Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki
by ratpigeon
Summary: A girl attacked him outside of Konoha, wreathed in red chakra. He took her in, and sealed the monster inside her, showed her what friendship meant. He just never counted on falling in love...JiraiyaXOC. Just after he trains Nagato etc. I don't own Naruto
1. Chapter 1

Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki

_The Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox_

This is because I lost a bet with Stormy about the existence of SasuTayu fics, and because there is no good fics about Jiraiya and Kyuubi.

Chapter One: A little of a long history.

Jiriaya looked at his rapidly improving student, the seal standing out starkly black against his belly as the boy ran across the surface of the small pond they were camping by, following a silver fish. Suddenly, with a growl, he dived under the water and snatched it up, before swimming back to shore, prey held proudly in his mouth and eyes glowing red. Kyuubi's seal was groing weaker.

Jiriaya took the still wriggling fish from Naruto, patting him quickly on the head, and flash grilling the fish in a stream of fire from his mouth.

"Lunchtime." He said, sitting down with the sopping wet Naruto, whose eyes were fading back to the usual blue. Jiraiya sliced the fish in half and waited for it to cool, before handing the larger portion to the rapidly growing student opposite him, who he had taken on for many reasons other than just the resemblance to Minato.

Namely, Kyuubi. The two had a long history together...

*

Yoake Akaime wandered through the forest, driven by the incessant whispering in her mind, adrift in a sea of swirling red. She didn't know where she was, or who, as black claws raked against her shattered thoughts.

_Let's find a village, little Yoake, let's find somewhere to be accepted, that's what you want, is it not? And if they don't accept us..._

"A village..." Yoake gripped her forehead, dirty blond hair spilling between her fingers.

_A village... Can you smell it, nearby? Can you taste their flesh and chakra, little Yoake?_

"What if...what if they don't hate us...?" Yoake, asked, her bare feet moving silently across the leafy forest, her nostrils flaring as she scented people, and blood.

_They all do. No-one ever understands you, little Yoake. They all call you demon, but it's not your fault, is it...Akaime? _Red eyes swirl out of the mist hazing her mind, followed by a feral grin.

The fingernails pressed to Yoake's forehead lengthen into claws, green eyes twisting to the colour of the blood that begins to run down her face. Yoake snarls,

"No-one..."

_No-one._

Yoake turns towards the village, but stops, freezing, as she scents a much closer prey on the wind. A man, his musky scent speaking of days of hard travel, the delicious, but now stale scent of blood telling her that he was a fighter, and the tingling scent of chakra telling her that this man was a powerful ninja, and worthwhile prey. crouching down, Yoake begins to stalk towards her new prey, who was walking straight towards her, talking to himself.

"I can't believe Orochimaru and Tsunade left without me like that. They'll regret it if some enemy ninja kills me on my way ba-"

Yoake froze at the same instant as the man, knowing she had been detected.

_Smell it, he fears you, hates you, already. Kill him...._

But Yoake didn't smell fear or hatred. Caution, but no fear, no hatred.

"Who's there?" he called, coming into Yoake's line of sight. He is about twenty, with a long grey ponytail hanging down his back. He's wearing a green vest with many compartments, and stained with the blood of others. He sees her.

"Who are you?" He asks, not attacking, but sheathing the black kunai he held. Yoake doesn't respond, doesn't know how to, but feels the boiling red chakra recede from her body and mind, just slightly, enough so that the burning pain can overtake her.

As she collapses, the last thing she sees is the man, catching her, his black eyes steeped with worry.

For her......

*

Pervy-sage! Pervy-Sage! It's time for training! What're you going to teach me?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes wide and excited, no trace of Kyuubi showing in them.

"Hmmm...How about I teach you more about Kyuubi, Naruto?" Jiraiya suggested, looking back at the pond they had camped by. This would probably be a dangerous thing to train Naruto in, the balance of control in a Jinchuuriki was too delicate. But if Naruto didn't learn to use that balance, he might end up like....

_Akaime..._Red eyes.

*

Okay, this is another new fic, which means I'll be trying to write four at once, which means that, unless I can get this finished soon it may loose any kind of frequency in updates as I show up back at College. Ugh. Also, this is my first serious Naruto one, so it might be a little weird.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki

_The Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox_

Chapter Two:

"Pervy-sage, will you teach me a new jutsu? I wanna get stronger fast, and all we've been doing is learning about the Fox demon and doing Chakra training."

"Sure, sure, bt you really need to learn as much about Kyuubi as you can. The Fox Demon is a powerful opponent, and you need to be able to control it's influences on your body." Jiraiya looked around the mountain dell that the two had relocated to, since Naruto blew up the pond at the last one with a rasengan. This kid wasimpossible to teach, but he had so much raw power, taht if his control improved, he'd barely need to use jutsu.

"I thought that was what the seal was for."

_The seal can't last forever. Kyuubi is stronger than that. _Jiraiya thought, but he didn't tell Naruto that, instead saying only tht it was better to be on the safe side.

*

When Yoake woke up, the first thing she smelled was ink, the second, the white-haired man. The first thing she felt is the searing pain that always follows the recession of the protective chakra around her body.

_You don't need him, he doesn't want you. Kill him and leave..._

"I...don't want..."

_Little Yoake...._He's angry. Yoake can hear it in his voice, sense it in his whipping orange tails. He scares her...._Kill him, Akaime._

Yoake feels a growl rip from her throat, hr teeth and nails lengthening as she tries to sit up, the bubbling red chakra thickening around her body, rough and abrasive as it causes trickles ofblood to drip down her body, soaking into the ground. But it doesn't hurt. The chakra never hurts...

"Jou-san! Calm down!" Yoake's head snaps across as she hears the man speak, and she senses the finely controlled chakra flowing from his hands, into the hundreds of precisely painted letters surrounding her. There is still no hint of fear in his voice.

**_Kill him _**

"b-but..."

**Kill him.**

"Jou-san, calm down. It's okay, I won't hurt you...I'm going to try and seal that... creature inside of you, so that it can't control you, okay?

**_Kill him!_**

Yoake screamed, ripping through the flimsy chakra constraining her, and attacked, blood-stained tails of energy whipping out towards the white haired man and creating four, deep gashes.

He didn't even flinch, as the corrosive chakra, now stained with both their blood ate into his body. Instead he grabbed her, his hands strong, but not cruel, as he pulled her beck into the negative space that she had woken up in, surrounded by the thousands of tiny black symbols, the latent power in them twisting around her body again, reinforced by the ninja's own chakra and strength.

_Weakling...kill him. Weak, weak body..._ Yoake screamed as fangs and claws ripped across the fragments of thought that were all that was left of a functional mind, as the demon vented its fustration at being, temporarily stymied. Then Yoake screamed again as the red chakra sank back into her body, leaving the blood to flow freely down her abraded skin, staining her clothes with fresh blood.

"Jou-san, calm down, I won't let anything hurt you..." He soothed, holding her immobile, as she thrashed weakly, too feverish from pain and blood loss to do much else.

"...why....?" she asks faintly, the world blurring in fron of her eyes. She doesn't even notice the black letters travelling up her legs, and fading into the skin above her heart, forming a swirling black pattern, a seal...

She does notice as the Ninja picks her up, and begins to travel, quickly but carefully, with her in his arms.

"I am Jiraiya, the toad Sage! It's what I do." He says, smiling at her, she barely sees it through the hazse of pain, and barely comprehends it, unable to remember any time she has seen that expression. It is different to the feral grin that accompanies the whispers and cruel red eyes.

It makes her feel warm, and dulls the pain, just enogh to let her slide into unconciousness, her own name escaping from her lips a second before.

"Yoake..."

*

Tsunade was just beginning to worry what could have delayed Jiraiya for two days after their mission, when the black-eyed Sannin burst into the room, carrying the blood-stained body of a young woman.

"WHat in-"

"Tsunade, can you help her?" He asked, desperation barely restrained showing in his eyes. Tsunade doesn't ask any more questions, as her teammate lays the girl on the floor. She is nearly white from loss of the blood oozing from every pore.

"I can try."

*

the first thing Yoake saw upon waking again was the white haired ninja...Jiraiya, sitting by her bed with bandages wrapped around his arms and stomach.

He is a sleep, draped over an uncomfortable looking hair by the small bed she realised she was in and snoring softly, head hanging back and mouth open. Piled around him is mess.

"Ky..Kyuubi?" She asks, disoriented, and slightly afraid, when she realises that the voice that had tormented, controlled her, since long before her vague memories could recall, that feral, animalistic voice, is no longer there.

Kyuubi didn't answer, but Jiraiya is instantly awake at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, Jou-san...Yoake. I'm sorryf or falling asleep like that... How are you feeling?" He asked, rubbing a the back of his head and flushing slightly, Yoake frowned, unaccustomed to hearing so many words at a time, with no anger or fear or malevolence.

"I feel...hungry..."

Jiraiya laughed at that, before standing up and briefly leaving.

"I'll get you some food, Yoake-chan."

Sitting gingerly up in the bed, Yoake looked around, curious. The only thing that she could see within easy reaching distance was a small pile of yellow notepaper, covered in writing, so she picked it up.

"Hey, what are you-" jiraiya came back into the room with a plateful of food. "Ack! Don't read that!"

"Hm?" Yoake looked up, afraid that she'd see the hatred that had pushed her to wander the forests except when her body drove her to eat and sleep, or when Kyuubi drove her to kill...

There was still none of it Jiraiya was blushing.

"I can't read." Yoake reassured him, trading the pages for a warm, but not entirely fresh bowl of soup.

"Thank god." muttered Jiraiya before stuffing the papers down his shirt.

"I have to go see the Hokage, I'll be back in an hour, and then I guess I should show you round the village, okay, Yoake-chan?"


	3. Chapter 3

Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki

_The Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox_

Chapter Three: Akaime

Jiraiya knocked tentaively on the Hokage's door. He was becoming quite tardy in reporting back from missions - last time he had taken an extra three years to train a few orphans - and the Nidaime was not pleased.

"What was it this time, Jiraiya-kun? A wet puppy? Your teammates came back three days ago." Said the hokage, his hair a similar shade of white to Jriaiya's, but his personality was much less laid back. Much.

"Well, those two lazy idiots left _me _behind to clean up, so that they could get the information back to you faster and then there was this girl-"

"Say no more." Said the nidaime, waving his hand at Jiraiya in despair. "I don't want to know the sordid details, just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Jiraiya nodded, not even needing the Hokage's order to make him clam up. He didn't really want to tell anyone about Yoake, who was probably eating instant ramen on his bed right now, completely innocent of any wrongdoing. He wasn't quite sure why, but he didn't think that the Hokage would be thrilled to have an insane girl with a crazy amount of alien chakra at Konoha in the middle of a war.

Turning, he quickly left the room, hoping that Tsunade would be as reticent to talk about the girl as he was.

*

Yoake was examining the small room again, marvelling. It was so...so..._warm..._she couldn't find the right words to describe it, the room was messy, covered in dust, as if the White-haired ninja - Jiraiya - was rarely here, and it was physically quite cool, but it felt warm...and safe...like when Jiraiya had been carrying her back here...

She licked the last of the soup out of the bowl, not remembering how long it had been since she'd had a hot, cooked meal, and felt something tingle over her heart. looking down, she saw a black whirlpool of chakra infused ink on her chest, the lines shifting slightly, and under it, the barely contained, but mercifully silent Kyuubi thrashes within its prison.

"It's a ...seal..." She murmured to herself. it matched the one on her back, that bound the kyuubi to her body, but in this one, the lines felt to be moving inwards, instead of outwards, counteracting the reign that Kyuubi held over her.

"Ah, Yoake-chan! Did you like your Ramen?" Asked Jiraiya, entering with a grin, and shoving aside some heavy scrolls to sit down on the chair beside her again.

"Yes." Murmured Yoake, tilting her head to appraise the man more closely. "Why don't you hate me?" She asked after some deliberation.

Jiraiya's eyes widened with surprise.

"Why on Earth would I hate you, Yoake-chan? You've never done anything to deserve it. Just a poor innocent girl, forced by the cruelty of fate, to wander the forest, at war with herself and the world...." At this point, Jiriaya stood up, and began an odd little dance. "I didn't introduce myself properly before. I am the protector of beautiful young women everywhere! The indescribable, undefeatable, amazing, Toad Sage! Jiraiya!" With that he struck a dramatic pose that sent him toppling into a pile of scrolls.

Yoake felt a smile inching across her face as Jiraiya peered from the pile of scrolls, a grin across his own face. His eyes widened surprise as he saw her face and he burst out laughing.

"Yo-Yoake-chan... you...have the...most ri-ridiculous smile...I have ever...seen!" he gasped, shoulders shaking, as he pressed his hands against the floor to steady himself.

"I do?" Yoake asked, tilting her head to the other side. She noticed that her blonde hair had been washed sometime, the muddy sraw colour giving way to pale gold.

"Yep..." Jiraiya said, regaining some control. "Kinda like this..." he demonstrated, pulling his face into a grotesque mask that looked more like an expression of intense pain. "...Or was my little intro really that bad?"

"I'm sorry...I won't smile anymore..." Yoake said, smoothing out her features.

"What?! Don't do that! You just need practise. Now, I promised you, Yoake-chan, that I'd take you to see the village. There's not much for tourists at the moment, but..." Jiraiya stopped and shrugged, his expressipon turning slightly melancholy. "I'll probably have to go on another mission tomorrow, but we'll stock up on food, and tidy this place up a bit, okay?"

"Can't I come?" Yoake asked, As Jiraiya opened the door for her.

"No. I don't want to put you in danger, you can't even fight. There is no way you are coming on any missions." Jiraiya said flatly, taking her hand as she reached the door, and leading her down a flight of stairs. "I'm going to protect you Yoake-chan, not put you in danger."

"Why?"

"Because...just because. Now, I'll show you Hokage mountain first, okay? We'll have a picnic!" With a grin, Jiraiya began to run down the street, swinging Yoake over his shoulder when she couldn't keep up.

*

"Hey Pervy Sage!! Wake up!! You're meant to teach me!! Not fall asleep on me!"

Jiraiya sighed, torn from his reverie as he turned to face his demanding little student. Why couldn't he be nice and sweet like she had been?

*

okay, now, to the readers of this and all my other fics, I am SO sorry!! I've been completely lazy all holidays, and the first few weeks of term!! I think I may have taken on more projects than I can chew, so I'm gonna see if I can maybe wrap a couple up soon, and then maybe take a break for a bit once they're all done...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Lessons

"Pervy Sage!! PErvy SAge!!" Naruto hopped from foot to foot. "Why aren't you teaching me any new jutsus?? I bet Tsunade is teaching Sakura all sorts of stuff, and Sasuke-" The boy broke off his eyes darkening.

"Fine, kid. I'll teach you a jutus - it's a super useful survival technique I developed during the war. It lets you create food from elemental chakra. I'm not quite sure if it'll work with your wind nature though..." Jiraiya smiled at his pupil, putting away the book he had been writing in, muttering to himself, "I may have to teach him some earth elemental jutsu..."

"That's so cool!!" Narutop's eyes widened. "IF I could do that, I'd be able to eat Ramen whenever I wanted!! What's it called?"

"Picnic-

*

"-Jutsu!" Jiriaya took his hand away from the rocks at the top of the mountain to show Yoake an assortment of foods, steaming hot and neatly laid out on unglaze clay plates.

"Wow! Can Chakra really do things like that?"

"Sometimes. My sensei helped me develop this one, since you need Earth element chakra. Water would probably creat drinks or something, but other than that, I doubt it would work...."

"What do you mean, earth nature chakra?" Yoake had a fain frown across her delicat features, and was sitting very still, curled around her knees, her blue eyes constantly scanning the area.

"Well, Chakra can be manipulated in different ways that mimic the behaviour of the elements. People tend to control elements similar to their personality, for example, a person who focussed mainly on long distance, area attacks wouyld probably develop a fire nature, while a person whio liked to fight hand to hand with minimal jutsu use would tend towards wind - if they could be bothered to learn it." Jiraiya smiled as he recognised the blank look that Yoake gave him.

"I could teach you some basic jutsu and stuff if you wanted, You've definitely got enough chakra to pull it off..." Jiraiya said, handing Yoake a bowl of rice.

"You said you would teach me how to smile..."

Jiraiya laughed and scratched the back of his head. "You had to start with the hard one, didn't you? Well....uh, try a smile..."

Yoake flushed slightly, and tried to pull her lips into the shape that seemed to hover constantly around Jiriaya's mouth, except the sanin began to chuckle and snort with laughter again as soon as she did. She flushed darker with embarassment, and turned away, her shoulders stiffening. Maybe not even this man liked her...

"Hey, Yoake-chan, I'm sorry, you just have a really... unusual smile. Try relaxing your face, and then think about warm food, peaceful days and cosy be-" Jiriaya broke off with a slight blush, mentally kicking himself for his faux pas. He couldn't control his pervery to save his life, it seemed, but he didn't want this fragile girl to see that side of him - it might shake the fragile bond forming between them, which, from her lack of social awareness, was probably the first human relationship that she had ever formed. He was her first...

Jiriaya's train of thought broke off as Yoake looked up at him with a shy smile rounding her still pink cheeks. Her deep eyes were painfully uncertain, and Jiriaya had to resist the urge to take her in his arms. Instead, he pasted on a smile that was probably not much better than her first attempt.

"There you go, Yoake-chan, a perfect smile for a perfect girl. Now, let's eat." Yoake's smile became slightly more confidnet, and she moved to sit slightly closer to Jiraiya, the hem of her loose white dress brushing against Jiraiya's thigh. THe dress was well made, soft and silky, and only served to accent her slender lissom figure, Jiraiya noted with a gulp. He had never been this nervous around a woman before, and the sight of soft cloth draping modestly over her shoulders shouldn't incite even a casual glance - he'd already seen her naked, when he created the seal, and changed her from the dirty shift he'd found her in.

Yoake twined her fingers around Jiriaya's large calloused palm, and looked up at him with innocent, childish eyes. Her smile could already make a man's stomach do backflips. Jiraiya noted, wryly, before pushing all those thoughts out of his head.

"So, do you like it?"

"Yes, chiken is my favourite..." Yoake said, picking up a piece of teriyaki chicken in her delicate fingers.

"I'm going to have to teach you how to use chopsticks."

*

"Look!! Look!! I dug a hole!! I'm learning it!!!" Naruto pointed excitedly at the shallow indent, about as significant as a footprint, that he had managed to make on the soft earth with his chakra.

"Thsi is worse than the tadpoles." growled Jiraiya, flipping through one of his earlier Icha Icha novels. "Earth NAture tends to be defensive. It's rounder than your wind chakra, think... like your sexy jutsu. Make your chakra like that." Jiriaya leered at Naruto.

"Pervert." grumbled the boy before turning back to the hole, and beginning to trace hourglasses in the air with his palms.

*

If people actually liked this enough to favourite/alert this, why didn't they tell me? I would have kept going if I'd known - I thought it was just Stormy, my single, faithful reviewer here, keeping it up out of duty...

ANyway, to all who care, here is another chapter, I shall try to maintain this story...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Departure.

"Tsunade." Jiraiya came into Tsunade's room, via the window as he was often wont to do.

"What do you want?" Tsunade snapped, rapidly pulling a shirt on over her light sleeping clothes.

"The Nidaime just sent me back to the land of mists - he told me to go by myself, since I can travel via toads, and after the battles with the lands of Earth and Wind, we need all the best medics in the hospitals."

"Are you leaving right away?" Tsunade asked, sitting up and fingering her necklace, as a feeling of dread welled up in her. "Make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"I won't, princess, but I need you to look after Yoake-chan while I'm away..." The white-haired sannin looked out the window, running one hand through his hair. "Tell her I'll be back soon, Okay?"

Tsunade nodded, feeling the sharp stab of betrayal prick at her breast. Who was this Yoake to make him care so much about her? What had happened to the three sannin as a team? She'd barely seen him since the night he brought her the girl, bloodstained and on the verge of death to save.

"Thanks." Jiraiya said, slipping out the window again. Tsunade hissed angrily and got up, pulling the overshirt tighter around herself as she left her apartment and went looking for Orochimaru.

*

Yoake woke up to a cold breeze through the window. It was about half an hour before dawn, and the stars were stillglowing faintly in the green-tinged predawn light. She sat up, wrapping her blankets around her as the chill ran up her bare arms. It was more tahn just an open window, the entire house seemed colder, lifeless, as if some animating energy haad been removed from it...

THe window banged against it's frame, making the pale girl jump - the house suddenly felt a lot less safe.

..._I will protect you, little Yoake..._

She whimpered at the sound of the voice, barely a whisper now, as it brushed across her thoughts with razor claws of burning ice.

_Little Yoake...._

"No...." SHe buried her head in her hands, blond hair leaking out between her fingers, "Jiraiya, Jiraiya, where are you?" She whimpered as the voice spoke again, still quiet, but now clearly audible, malicious glee oozing from it's words.

_He left you little one, he didn't want you, no-one could care for one like you..._

"No! That's not true!" A bead of blood, black in the faint light trickled down the silver-gold strands of hair, staining them dark.

_Then where is he?_

"NO!" Yoake screamed, thrashing as she felt the touch of its claws, reaching out from their prison to shred her mind and body again. "_NO!_"

"Hello?" THe door slammed open, and a woman's voice called though the house, accompanied by the sound of sandled feet. Yoake curled up among Jiraiya's rumpled blankets, still screaming as the bloody claws brushed lovingly across her toughts.

_Little Yoake, you should already know, your _mine.

"No...."

"WHat's going on?!" Yoake looked up, to see a golden-eyed woman standing in the door, a pointed black kunai in her hand. It smelt of old blood. Yoake skcreamed again, flinging herself away from the woman, curling up bside the bed, tears leaking like fire from under her eyelashes.

"Jiriaya... Jiriaya..."

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you- Jiraiya had to go on a mission, he'll be back soon." The golden eyed woman squatted down in front of Yoake, her voice showing awkward concern, but Yoake caught the taste of resentment as well as her head snapped up.

"He's _gone?_"

"Yes." The woman nodded, and Yoake saw that there was no cruelty in these golden eyes, just worry and pain... the thought vanished as Yoake processed the woman's answer.

"He left me?"

"He didn't exactly have much choice." Snapped the woman, standing up and adjusting her nightclothes and the warmer robe she had put on over them. "THe Hokage called him away, so he had to go. That's how it works."

"But he said..." Yoake broke off. Jiraiya had never said he would stay. He had promised to teach her, and show her things, but he hadn't promised to stay with her. HE had even told her that he would leave...

"Look, no-one is happy about Jiraiya having to leave. But as someone whos' known him for more than a few days, I can tell you that he is not about to let himself be killed on some stupid reconassaince." The woman stood up, folding her arms. "My name is Tsunade, in case you wondered, and he told me to take care of you while he's gone, but if you aren't about to get killed, then I'd appreciate being able to go back to... bed." THe woman turned to exit the room, leaving Yoake huddled in a corner, her sandles still clacking on the ground.

"M-my names Yoake..."

Tsunade turned back, raising one slender eyebrow. "Fine. I'll see you in the morning."

*

I know this is a short chapter, but I'm not really sure what to do in the immediate future yet, so I decided to go for quality rather than adding some sort of useless blather to make up the word count. Anyway, I hope that everyone likes it~! And many hugs and much love to Lifeclaw and Fee, Because they REVIEWED!!!! The rest of you should follow this shining example, or feel ashamed! You know who you are. It's because of you that this story was previously in hiatus. *Grumpy look* But review and all will be forgiven!! ^_^ only a word or two, don't even bother to log in if you don't want....


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sunagakure

Yoake stood at the edge of the forest surrounding the village of Konoha. This morning when Tsunade had come by to bring breakfast, she had told the girl not to go beyond the village walls, since the entire LAnd of Fire was a war-zone, but to Yoake, who had grown up alone in the forests, with a constant battle for her sanity raging within her, a war-zone didn't seem too threatening.

She brushed her hands along the air, scenting the wind, and closing her eyes as she tried to find him. SHe had to know why he'd left. She had to _prove _that it wasn't because he hated her, she had to prove it to the claws and fangs in her mind... and to herself...

"Jiriaya..."

Her eyes flicked open as she caught the faint scent that belonged to him. Musky sweat, flavoured with the Ramen he ate, round, warm chakra, but deep and strong, and the ever-present faint taint of blood, that would never vanish, it was so deeply ingrained. She could even smell _her _blood, from when he had held her, that first meeting... Blood was thicker than water - it could never be washed away.

Ignoring the pain that came from drawing on the Kyuubi, and the mocking comments that were getting ever louder in her mind, as the razor claws caressed her thoughts, framing them in blood, Yoake follwed the scent, searching for Jiraiya, as his image wavered, red-soaked, in her mind's eye.

*

Jiriaya stood over the girl sleeping in the bed, peaceful, calm, her eyes closed and her blonde-brown hair spilling over her cheeks. Around her were the bodies of her guards, killed wihtout a sound, some with strands of silver hair still wrapped around their neck. To look at her, one would never think that she was the daughter of one of the most powerful ninja in Sunagakure, and had her self demonstrated talent with both puppetry and Wind natured jutsu, as the large, folded fan in the corner of the room demonstrated.

"Karura." He murmured, staring at the girl. She didn't stir. With a sigh, Jiraiya turned on his heel, his eyes inspecting the shadows of the room. When he saw no movement, he sighed again, and left, leaping out of the window as lightly as a shadow.

No ninja in any stage of their training, in any depth of slumber would not respond to their name said by an unfamiliar voice. And the Kazekage would never guard a talented young ninja, with such a powerful father, with half a dozen genin and a chuunin.

In the bed, the girl slept on, while, down the hall, two children, one, an eight-year old girl, the other, an androgynous toddler, lay curled together on a futon, watched by their father.

"Sweet dreams, Karura, Yashamaru." He murmered, kissing both children on the forehead, he turned and left the room, walking down the hall to where the decoy slumbered. With a dispassionate eye, he took in the slaughtered guards, before calmly going to the window and following Jiraiya into the moonlight.

*

"Ruramaru." Jiriaya turned, three kunai slipping into each hand, protruding like claws between his knuckles, his hair fanning out behind him in the desert breeze. The man in front of him had two long, curved blades on his back, as well as shoulder-length golden-brown hair and dark, menacing purple eyes.

"Jiraiya. I did not expect my daughter to merit the attention of one of the legendary Sanin." He said, his purple eyes glittering in the first glimmerings of dawn.

"Well, I pissed off Nidaime, so he decided to give me a boring assignment as punishment." Jiriaya said idly, settling into a fighting stance, watching Ruramaru, and waiting to see him tense to attack - a sure sign that their banter would be on its deathbed.

"I apologise for the _inconvenience _- I did not expect it to take me half a night to catch up to you - I must have misjudged your timing." Ruramaru said, a hand reaching for the tasseled hilt of one of his blades.

"Everyone makes mistakes." Jiraiya said flippantly, before dodging away from the slicing lash of air that whipped towards him, propelled by the force of Ruramaru drawing his swords.

"Everyone who knows of mine is dead." Ruramaru snarled, holding the huge blades easily, one in each hand. The blades were long and elegantly curved, widening to a leaf-shape near the tip - weighted for throwing, Jiriaya guessed with a shudder as he dodged another attack, not closing the distance yet. Ruramaru must be ferociously strong if he could throw those monsters one handed.

"Damn. Well, Ruramaru, there's a first for everything." Jiraiya's hands flashed through half a dozen handsigns, the kunai in between his fingers nearly slashing his knuckles as he completed the lightning fast moves, vanishing as his hair fanned out around him.

"Not tonight."

Jiraiya didn't bother to answer, instead flinging his kunai, each with a strand of hair twined round it.

"Homing Kunai." He muttered, forming a single handsign as the the kunai ducked around the blurring blades, guided by his chakra infused hair. It was almost ironic - he'd gotten the idea from a Suna puppeteer. Without the force of a full throw, or an arm behind them, the kunai were merely annoyances - distractions. Jiraiya beganto to prepare his next jutus, but before he could complete the handsigns, Ruramaru dodged away from the kunai, leaping into the air and sending one of his huge swords spinning towards Jiraiya, slicing the air itself with the wind chakra that flooded the blade.

Jiriaya ducked away, the blade thudding into the ground behind him, sending up a spray and dirt. Around Ruramaru, his kunai fell to the ground, the hairs controlling them severed. He muttered a few choice swearwords as the blade swung past his head again, blown like a leaf on the wind of its master's chakra.

"I don't like you. You really bug me, you know?" Jiraiya muttered, wishing he could go home, and leave the primary target of this mission unscathed. But then the Nidaime would get even more peeved, and he'd get another cruddy assignment. Tobirama Senju could b a petty, petty man on occasion...

Ruramaru - the jerk - threw several of Jiraiya's own Kunai at him in reply. Jiriaya was about to retaliate, when something snarled, and leapt from a nearby sand dune, pouncing on Ruramaru with a feral howl.

*

I have reviews, so I can do anything!! You returned unto me the will to write - Fee, Lifeclaw and Yuri_swan. WHO ALL REVIEWED MY LAST CHAPTER!!! (Much improvement on my previous average of 1.25 reviews per chap.....). THat's why there is an update here. So everyone who didn't review, should go thank them, if you cared at all about an update... Anyway, that's my whine for today, I'm almost starting to hate this site, but I guess it's a lesson in tenacity.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Bijuu

Yoake clawed at Ruramaru, her slender fingers digging deeply into his skin, exposing the glistening bones of his cheek. Four tails of bubbling chakra whipped around her body, lashing at the ninja as she snarled again, one hand raking across his left eye, shredding the fragile membrane and disgorging a thick clear gel.

Ruramaru screamed, twisting away, throwing Yoake off and dropping onto the sand, one hand clutched to the left side of his face, sword falling to the ground. Yoake's slight body flew several feet throught the air, before landing crouched on the slope of a nearby dune.

"Yoake-chan!" Jiraiya's voie echoed over the sand, horror and fear in his tone.

The blonde twisted to stare at him, recognising the horror, the terror, agony showing in the last vestiges of humanity in her epression.

_See? Even this man has betrayed you, little Yoake. Even this one is afraid of our red eyes, Akaime._

Yoake screamed, her back arching, and the maddened howl sounded almost like 'Jiriaya' as the seal over her heart fractured, and the Kyuubi took over.

*

Jiriaya had frozen for an instant as he saw Yoake erupt from the dunes, tackling the sand nin. He had never seen anything quite so brutally violent, despite being a Jonin during wartime.

When Ruramaru flung her away, he shook off the moment of shock, and called out her name, terrified that she might be hurt, horrified that the Kyuubi was already leaking through his seal to control her again, as he darted to the sand-nin, flinging a kunai through his neck, making sure that he couldn't attack again, that he had no chance to hurt Yoake.

No sooner had Ruramaru gasped his death rattle than Yoake screamed. Jiriaya turned to see blood run over her body, obscuring her blond hair and pale skin as another tail fanned out behind her.

"Yoake!" A fifth tail appeared, and the Kyuubi turned to him, fangs beared in a grin.

"_She's mine, whelp. And now I shall kill you for your insolence._" Another tail fanned out, whipping at the sand.

Jiriaya swore, his hands whipping through signs as the kyuubi pounced, its seventh tail appearing as well.

"Toad mouth bind!" Jiraiya yelled, wrapping his arms around the creature as it flung itself into him, raking with acid claws. There was a split second before the jutsu appeared, and Jiraiya felt the creatures teeth slice through his shoulder, before it was sealed withing the oesophagus of a toad, the fleshy pink substance holding it still.

Not sure how long he had before the Kyuubi clawed its way out, Jiraiya began to desperately redraw the symbols to prepare his seal, forcing as much chakra into it as he could, improving the patterns and the symbols, binding instead of supressing, jailing instead of dispersing. he used the most powerful seals that he knew, some of them forbidden, others lost except to the archives of Myobokuzen. He had underestimated the Kyuubi, but now, as he saw the seal he was designing, he wondered if maybe he was overestimating Yoake and her strength to carry such a powerful jutsu. She would never be able to use her chakra if he did this, nor be as healthy as she might have been.

The toad oesophagus bucked, as a claw emerged. Without a further moment's hesitation, Jiriaya began the final set of handsigns to activate the jutsu.

"Demon Fox Chakra Seal!" HE shouted, as the Kyuubi emerged fully from its prison, an eigth tail joining the rest.

IT froze, its muscles straining against the force of the seal, its teeth dripping sizzling acid onto the ground as it snarled. But one by one, its tails began to fade and vanish, and it shrunk, becoming translucent enough to reveal Yoake unconcious withing the prison of its chakra.

As soon as he saw the girl, Jiraiya rushed forwards, placing hihs hand on her lower sternum, at the centre of her body, completing the seal and binding it to her, staggering slightly as the strength of her own body took on hte burden of maintaining it.

The last of the chakra vanished, and Yoake collapsed to the ground, blood seeping into her clothes.

Without a second thought, Jiraiya left the dip in the desert where Ruramaru's body lay, and ran for Konoha, Yoake lying in his arms.

*

"Jiraiya~a," Naruto whined, after his fourth consecutive day of trying to learn earth nature jutsu - completely unsuccessfully - the shallow indents he had been able to make in the dirt proved to be, on closer inspection, theeffect of continuously huffing on dry dirt. "It isn't working."

Jiraiya sighed, looking up from his book.

"Fine then, just grab a scroll and store a supply of Ramen in that for your missions. I don't think you can do this jutsu." Jiraiya cursed himself for even suggesting it - Naruto hadn't even learned what elemental nature he was, and Jiriaya was betting it was wind, or maybe lightning. THere was no way he could learn earth releases.

"I'll prove you wrong!!" Naruto snapped, digging his hands into the dirt and thindking round thoughts - unfortunately, his round was the spinning ball of rasengan, and after a few minutes, he went cross-eyed and had to run behind a tree, looking rather green.

Jiriaya sighed, and turned a page. He'd wanted to start teaching the boy about genjutsu, but now was stuck here while he tried to learn about Earth nature. Such a troublesome pupil.

*

Sorry it took me almost a month to update - but at least its up in time for christmas!! At least where I live, anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! (And, as always, please review.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chicken

Jiraiya stood over Yoake, mumbling the few healing jutsu he had picked up from Tsunade. They were within one of his toads, which he'd summoned as soon as he'd had the presence of mind to realise that Gamanaka could travel a lot faster than he could.

Yoake's eyes fluttered, but didn't quite open. She was healing a lot faster than Jiraiya's third-rate healing could accomplish, the skin under her blood healing without the faintest scar. Jiraiya heaved a sigh of relief as her eyelids fluttered again, picking up a damp bandage to wipe the blood away from her face. She was so fragile, far to delicate to house the destructive power that was Kyuubi.

"She is isn't she? Far too weak to be a suitable Jinchuuriki. And I broke her so long ago that she's barely even amusing anymore." Yoake didn't move a her voice issued from her pale lips - but of course, it wasn't her speaking. "I enjoy playing with my Jinchuuriki. Most of the bijuu are content to work _with _a mind that is strong enough to hold them - pathetic. But I object too this ritual confinement. so I torment them and kill anyone who gets close enough to help." Her lips moved in a smile, but it was a cold mockery of the shy, hearrtbrakingly beautiful smile he had seen only a few day ago.

"Well, I don't intend to go anywhere, and I don't really plan on dying at the hads of an orange ball of fur with a few extra tails stuck on." Jiraiya said, belying the icy fear running through them. He'd sealed anything of Kyuubi that could ever escape, he'd fed it Yoake's chakra to make it hold, and yet, only hours later, it was speaking through her again.

"It's her mind." the fox demon said, companionably as if it had read Jiraiya's thoughts. "My chakra is effectively locked up, along with hers, but to lock me away completely, you would have to lock her own mind away. That darling, sweet, and oh so painfully uncertain little girl who is just beginning to see what the world has to offer, who is already falling head over heels for her shining knight - without even knowing the stories. Could you do that? Take her to the blonde medic and tell her to ruin this beautiful young girl, who is barely becoming a woman, and leave her empty?"

Jiraiya didn't answer, his mind torn between the horror of destroying Yoake-chan's mind and the faint, fluttering, and entirely inappropriate thought that maybe, _maybe, _Yoake might be starting to care for him the way he was fairly certain he loved her.

"Isn't it delicious? I will drive her mad, and the only way to thwart me is by doing the same." Yoake's voice laughed.

"Go away." Snapped Jiraiya, turning away.

There was a soft gasp from Yoake, and Jiraiya spun back to see her staring at him with wounded cerulean eyes, one hand pressed to her mouth. As Jiraiya stared at her, not knowing how to explain, a trickle of blood began to run down the back of her wrist.

"It was right..." She whispered, her voice muffled by her fist as she stood up, backking away.

"No - Yoake-chan, don't go, I wasn't talking to you..." Jiraiya said, reaching a hand out to her. She took another step back, shaking her head, eyes brimming with tears.

"you're just like everyone else. I heard your fear..." She turned away, her shoulders shaking as she pressed her other hand to her face, trying to hold her head together...

"I was afraid you'd get hurt." Jiraiya said, his voice warm and husky in Yoake's ear as he wrapped his strong arms around her, stifling the trembling of her thin limbs. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Jiraiya spoke softly, barely daring to utter the words as he felt an uncharacteristic blush creeping up his cheeks.

"You don't want me to go?"

Jiraiya stifled the urge to let out a hollow laugh - this fragile young girl hadn't known what a smile was a week ago - there was no way she would understand irony.

"Of course I don't want you to go." HE said, running his fingers through her hair, comforting her. She had stopped trembling now - he should let her go.

He was about to loosen his grip, when Yoake pressed her slender palms against his chest, gripping the cloth of his shirt. Another violent shudder went through her and she looked up at Jiraiya. Even though there was no trace of blood in the perfect azure of her eyes, they were cloudy with the shadows of pain and fear.

"Hush, Yoake-chan, i won't let anything hurt you." He murmured, tightening his grip again.

"J-jiraiya, when we get back to Konoha, will you teach me about jutsu?" She asked after a moment, her eyes deep enough to drown in, and beyond the surface of fragility and pain, completely unreadable.

Jiraiya nodded, wanting only to assuage the pain in her eyes.

"And teach me to read..."

"Of course Yoake-chan, I'll give you anything you want." He murmured, rubbing his hands in soothing circles along her back.

A faint hint of a smile brushed her lips and she streched up, rising onto the balls of her feet, and placed a soft kiss on Jiraiya's lips, her tongue flicking out to brush across them. Jiraiya was so shocked that by the time that his brain had processed what was happening, Yoake had already pulled away, leaning her head against his chest with a faint sound that might have been a snicker.

"You taste like chicken.

*

Lookit!! Lookit!! Another chapter! I'm not sure if I like this story or not - I'm a devout feminist, but at the same time, Yoake is just such a ... delicious character to write. Right Kyuubi? (Licks lips) mmm.... mental anguish....


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Claws.

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya, his hands quivering slightly with nerves.

"Are you sure I should be learning this?"

"You need to be able to control your chakra, or it will kill you." Jiraiya said coldly, standing up. "I'll keep you under control."

"O-okay..." THe word trailed off to a growl as seals began to loosen, tails of chakra fanning out from the bubbling mass that began to surround the boy.

"Good." Jiraiya crouched into a defensive fighting stance, watching Naruto intently. _I won't let you have another one, Kyuubi._

*

Yoake watched intently, her blond hair falling over her eyes as Jiraiya showed her the basics of the alphabet. He had been spending every spare moment there with her, teaching her whatever she wanted to know, until the light got too dim to see by, when they would walk back to his apartment together, in the falling dusk. It seemed almost, in the time since she had recovered, again, from Kyuubi's raking grip on her mind, that the war had ceased, allowing the two the first real peace either of them had ever known.

"There are so many letters..." She said, looking up. It was getting late, and the sunlight reflected red off her face, and for the barest moment off her gleaming eyes.

"I know, but once you learn them all, it's easy." Jiraiya said, catching the hand she was using to turn the page and kissing it lightly. Yoake smiled,turning her hand so their fingers could entwine.

"We have to go back soon, don't we."

"Mm, it's getting dark - and I'm hungry." Jiraiya grinned.

"Ramen for dinner?"

"Of course." Jiraiya stood up, still holdin Yoake's hand, and was about to leave, when Tsunade came running in, out of breath and pale.

"We have to go _now!" _SHe yelled at her teammate, dragging him away from Yoake. "All seven of Kirigakure's Swordsmen of the Mist are on their way here!"

"What?" Jiraiya's face registered blank surprise for a moment before he let go of Yoake's hand, and followed Tunade out of the library at a dead run.

*

The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were frighteningly powerful, and flanked by most of the Jonin in Kirigakure, Konoha found itself on the back foot, and having to retreat, as calls were sent out across the Great Ninja Nations, calling home the scattered Leaf jonin who would be too late to save their village...

_I smell blood._

Yoake looked away, her eyes darkening, trying to block the warm, tangy scent from her nostrils, feeling it thick on her tongue. She'd been left in thte empty library, but even the dusty scent of paper, and the thick stone walls couldn't distance the scent of blood.

_They're all going to die, little one._

"No they won't. Jiraiya is strong." Yoake said quickly, putting the last of the scrolls back and beginning to pace through the corridors of books, her hands trailing along scrolls that got dustier and dustier as she worked her way towards the back.

_They have seven more like him._

"We have medics..."

_Won't matter, they can't bring the dead back to life, and they'll all be dead soon._

"You're lying."

_I'm offering to help. _

Yoake froze, her hand nervously resting on a thick ancient scroll.

"W-what?"

_Unseal me. You've learnt how to construct a seal from him. It's simple to undo one. Let me out, and we can fight. We will destroy these invaders, and become heroes._

"Why?" Yoake asked sharply, biting down on the hope that flared in her throat - _she could_ _help...._

_I'm bored. I want to hunt. Who doesn't matter. The shaggy grey mutt will seal me if I break free, but I will make a deal with you. Unseal me, and I will kill all those pathetic enemies._

"...promise?" Yoake looked down, finding the scrolls that she needed - ancient, forbidden jutsu for binding and freeing - were already at her fingers.

_Of course. And I keep my bargains._

The scrolls unfurled, spreading the complex symbols over the floors. Yoake frowned, struggling to make out the words, biting her index finger until it bled, and tracing the required symbols overthe ones already circling her heart like a flock of crows.

_Hurry Little Yoake. Hurry Akaime. Or they'll all be dead._

_"Yes..."_ Yoake looked up, as the seal exploded from her chest. the blond hair rippled back from her sweet face in the force of the chakra surrounding her, already becoming visible as her expression twisted into a snarl, fangs growing out over her lips and her eyes darkening to a bloody red. _"Hurry."_

She ran from the library, leaving the scrolls scattered on the ground, charred where her blood had fallen onto them...

*

Tada!!!! And I've got the next one planned out. And then it's FINISHED!!!! And I can get back to my ghosties. So, Tata for now.  
~Ratpigeon


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Human Sacrifice

A rumbling roar shook the forests, leaves falling to the ground as a huge orange form emerged from Konohagakure, bounding rrapidly towards the battle between the mist nad leaf ninja. Its mere presence was enough to halt the battles of even the seven swordsmen of the mist, and the three Sanin as they turned to stare.

"Yoake-chan..." Jiraiya murmured in horror, fragmented seals still shattering around the beast's body as every binding jutsu ever placed upon it fragmented.

There were screams, from both sides.

ANd the orange nightmare bore down, bounding past the terrified Konoha ninja, scorching them with its chakra as it fell upon the Kirigakure ninja. Tsunade looked away in disgust, her phobia of blood making her stomach churn until she was retching dryly, leaning against a tree. Even Orochimaru couldn't stand to watch the awful carnage as the other Jonin fled.

Only Jiraiya bore witness to the destructive power of the Kyuubi, rooted to the ground in horror, trying to see something of the girl he had come to care so much about in the bubbling energy, its shape obscured by blood and less pleasant things.

"Yoake..."

THe monster looked up... and he could _see _her.

"_Little kit. What is wrong?" _Kyuubi asked, dropping the last dead ninja, and stalking towards Jiraiya. It's voice was deep, and terrifying, gravel being ground to powder by the feet of the damned as they marched down to hell.

"What did you do to her?!" Jiraiya shouted, his throat constricting. He could see Yoake's for trapped inside the Kyuubi's trasnluscent mass, twisting, writhing. He could hear her screams under it's voice as the chakra _burned _her.

"_Nothing. SHe did it to herself._"

"No - she wouldn't. She wouldn't have-"

_"Or maybe you did it? taught her how to read, left her in a library full of ancient, powerful techniques, taught her sealing jutsu yourself..." _the Kyuubi's voice was mocking, as it circled Jiraiya, spiralling ever closer, until he could feel the heat of it's chakra on his skin.

"I didn't know-"

_"What; that I lurked in her mind? That I hold it in my fangs as I hold her body now? _Fool. _Or maybe you didn't realise she was mad... Or maybe you just didn't know that she loved you, wanted to please you. Enough to sacrifice herself for this village "_

"Let her go!" Jiraiya screamed, as the Kyuubi pounced.

*

"Hold it Naruto... It's _your _chakra..." Jiraiya said, slowly, in the manner he would soothe an angry animal. Naruto coruched before him, snarling, his teeth unnaturally long and sharp as his eyes gliowed bloody red and three bubbling tails of chakra fanned around him.

"I..." He snarled, and the chakra surged, darkening and bulging as if something were trying to escape his body.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya snapped, his voice jerking the boy's head up again like a leash. "Concentrate!" He flexed his fingers on the kunai, watdching Naruto for any sign of movement, as the boy growled again, shaking and sweating from the effort.

"Just a little longer."

Suddenly, Naruto's control snapped, and he collapsed, his chest heaving as the chakra bubbling around him darkened and pulled in, concentrating itself over his skin, blood welling and fading where it touched, as another tail formed behind him.

"_Remember me, whelp?" _snarled a voice that wasn't Naruto's. "_Waht kind of fool are you?_" It laughed, and struck.

*

Jiraiya felt the beast's hot breath on his face, as the glowing red eyes glared at him, some faint shimmer of Yoake's sweet face still held, horribly, tormentedly, in their depths, as the Kyuubi snarled.

"_Silence! A bargain means _nothing_ to me. I shall kill who I wish!" _

"...no..." The voice was the barest whisper, faint, and hoarse, the sound of a voice that has screamed until it can no longer make any sound.

"_You have no power over me, little Yoake, you never did. So SILENCE!"_

"No." Kyuubi howled, its tails thrashing the forest around it, setting the trees alight, before with one last snarl, it left, bounding into the air, snarling with rage as a limp form fell from the core of its body of flaming chakra.

"_Yoake!"_ Jiraiya screamed, running to the girl. Her entire body was red with blood, and absolutely, finally still, the blue eyes, that had always been confused and afraid, were blank. Even in death she had not found peace...

Jiraiya bent his head, cradling her lifeless body, and feeling her warm wet blood soak through his clothes, as tears tracked down his cheeks.

*

Jiraiya felt pain lance through his chest, as he was flung back against the wall of the small hut they had been staying in. the building collapsed under the force of the blow. Jiraiya looked down, and winced.

_I have a hole in my chest..._

_"You're mine now, whelp. She is long dead." _The kyuubi laughed, a mocking growl.

"She was stronger than you in the end though..." Jiraiya murmured, tasting blood in the back of his throat.

"_No, the end hasn't come yet... for me at least." _Kyuubi said, his jaws closing over Jiraiya's neck.

It's teeth froze less than a millimetre from the skin and it's eyes widened.

"You promised, Kyuubi..." Jiraiya froze as well as he heard that voice... _she was dead. Kyuubi had said so itself... she was..._

The bloody chakra's began to fade around the Kyuubi, but, for just a moment, it looked at him wiht a pair of cornflower blue eyes that he'd never forget.

"...I'm sorry..." All essence of Kyuubi - and Yoake - vanished into the seal on NAruto's stomach, and the boy pitched forwards, landing across Jiraiya's legs.

"...I'm sorry too..." Jiriaya murmured, forcing all of the chakra he could muster into the wound on his chest, sealing it just enough that he wouldn't die in the immediate future, before he lapsed into unconsiousness as well, faces from the past dancing before his midn's eye.

_I loved you, Yoake..._ He thought as cosciousness left him, a single tear escaping his eye as he remembered her, limp and lifeless on the battlefield so many years ago. _And that's twice you've saved my life... I'm sorry I never returned the favour..._

_I love you..._

_*_

_..._well... there it is... I think I screwed that up... anyway, thanks for reading. This is now finished, finally, so goodnight, ladies and gentleman, and anything in between. I'm going to go and think depressing thoughts now.


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